BERKELEY-Before the season started, Cal head football coach Jeff Tedford welcomed the fact that the Bears weren't mentioned in a single preseason poll. A lack of expectations, he said, would help the team to focus. It would be back to the role of the underdog, a role that Tedford's early Cal teams played to perfection as they ascended as high as No. 2 in the nation.

But, the combination of having scored 104 points in two weeks and sporting a revamped defense that ranks No. 1 in the nation, tends to create just a bit of buzz. Going into Friday's nationally-televised tilt with Nevada, the Bears see themselves ranked in both the ESPN.com Power Rankings as well as the USA Today Coaches' Poll, at No. 24. Good news, right?